VISAKHAPATNAM:As a result of international flight connectivity at the Visakhapatnam airport, an increasing number of cases against illegal smuggling of gold are being witnessed, said Principal Commissioner of Customs C Rajendiran. He said that in an attempt to combat this they would strengthen the security with advanced equipments.
Addressing the media, Rajendiran said that earlier hardly 50 international passengers from Dubai via Hyderabad used to land in Visakhapatnam airport. However, in recent times the figures have shot up to 1,683 and the outgoing passengers to 1,963. Meanwhile, the incoming and outgoing passengers travelling by Silk Air, Malindo and Air Asia have rapidly increased. Explaining the modus operandi of the smuggling, Rajendiran said that concealing the gold in the form of bars (biscuits) in the body is the basic method of operation. He also said that most of the gold is making way from Dubai through the Air India Flight (AI 952), and Hyderabad seems to be the most vulnerable area in the gold smuggling racket.
Rajendiran said that the smugglers bring the gold from Dubai and it changes hands in Hyderabad and reaches Vizag through the domestic passengers as they can escape from the terminal with nominal scanning and hence, are highly sought. Rajendiran mentioned that with the trained officers and their skills, it is easy to recognise the smugglers. “We have trained professionals and have a complete grip on the profile of the customers and hence there is no chance of escaping,” said Rajendiran.
Revealing the stats, Rajendiran said that in 2013-14 the gold seized by the Customs officials at the Vizag Airport was 6.67 kg worth Rs 2.01 crore, in 2014-15 7.62 kg worth Rs 2.04 crore was seized and in 2015 so far the gold with 11.06 kg worth Rs 3.06 crore was seized.
“We have decided to strengthen scanning of domestic passengers depending on the suspicion and profile of passengers to curb smuggling of gold,” said Rajendiran. He also mentioned that most of the smugglers belonged to either Hyderabad or Kerala.
Till now, the customs officials have arrested 17 persons in connection with gold smuggling since 2013, including two women. To a query on the cargo flights, Rajendiran said that customs was ready for cargo movement and also refuted the charges that they had a role in the delay of the cargo flights.
